The car is a 2002 S3 210,with an MTM big turbo kit fitted,along with pretty much every other(performance enhancing) mod.
The cars performance was improved greatly over the previous MTM265 spec but I always felt that there was more potential yet to be unlocked,it was quick,smooth,hell even economical,but there was something missing.
On the phone to QST one day ages ago,Kim mentioned his dyno cell project was nearing completion and that Peter Link from MTM would be coming over to map various customers cars(JR on here included I believe)he was booked out for that visit,but I put my name down for the next session,thinking that it couldnt hurt and that I had so much other work done to the car,that to leave this avenue unexplored would be silly.
So last Sunday(10th) myself and two mates headed off for the ferry in Dublin,crossed over to Holyhead and made our way down to Hawards Heath where we met Kim and Peter for a few beers and a meal,before starting on the car first thing Monday morning.
After a few checks were done,the car was tied down on the dyno(inside a very impressive climate controlled cell,with air ducting specifically geared towards the VAG range of cars and their sensitivity to intake temperature increases)after a few hours of listening to my car screaming its lungs out while Herr Link did his thing,end result being 345ps and 422Nm of torque,but peter felt there were further improvements to be made.
So we pulled the car off the dyno to let him get stuck into a 520 ps RS4,while I changed a few exhaust components to new specification parts,to see if this would lead to any increase.
Back on the dyno on Tuesday morning and after a futher mapping session, the results were announced,345.5ps again but torque had risen to 452.9Nm with real gains lower down the rpm scale.
And all this on 95 octane fuel,with Millers octane booster and Broquet in the tank.We didnt actually tell Peter what fuel we had until late on Tuesday,he couldnt believe it wasnt Optimax and felt that if I had filled up with Optimax,added to the gains I was seeing from the octane boosters,355-360bhp would be a possibility!
Out on to the road for some tweaks to the map,then back to QST,where a chip was burned with the new programme and the ECU refitted to the car,then load up and head (late!)for Leeds to look at a car.
Even three up and with a bootful of luggage and car parts,the increase in performance and response was immediately evident,but it wasnt until I got the car home,emptied the boot and got rid of the passengers and headed out on to familar roads that the true extent of the improvement became apparent.
The car now has real E46 M3 type pace,with superior midrange and a really useable powerband,coming off roundabouts the car just flings itself up the road and on a piece of road I know well proved to be 10mph faster than previously.
All in all probably the most impressive modification I have ever made to the car,if any of you out there are considering this MTM conversion,or have it and are wondering whether or not to bother with the custom map,just do it,you wont be disappointed.
I'd just like to thank Kim for all his help with this at times difficult project, and Paul,Simon and Dean for all there help while I was over there taking up space in the workshop.
Also a big thanks to Yona for all the tea,chat and for letting the lads fall asleep in the reception area.
I have scanned dyno sheets here,if any one can host them I'll email them on.
Anything (apart from the turbo, obviously!) less common - water injection or intercooler spray, manifold spacer, DV relocation, air intake mods?
360bhp 342lb/t
